7 kisses
by monstrofmen
Summary: Merlin/Arthur fun. pretty much what the title says. Merlin is slightly OOC mainly cuz he cries so much. Enjoy!
1. nose

**Arthur thinks it's adorable when Merlin is jealous**

* * *

The wind roared outside the window of Prince Arthur's chambers, rain spattering the panes.  
Arthur sat sprawled in his favorite armchair, smirking as his manservant, Merlin, paced from one end of his room to the other.

"No, no, no!" Merlin yelled for the 20th time that evening, "I will not become your personal minstrel, just so you can snog some poor girl before Gwaine!"  
Arthur rolled his eyes.

"It's not just some girl, Merlin, it's the lady Portia!" he smirked, enjoying the look of irritation dancing in those gorgeous cobalt blue eyes.  
Merlin pouted, his soft, full lips jutting out delightfully (Arthur found himself wanting to bite down on them, hard, just to hear the whimpers escaping Merlin's lips).

"I don't care if it's the Queen of Cornwall, the answer is no," Merlin fumed, his ears turning the prettiest shade of cherry pink. "I thought you were with Gwen, anyway?"  
Arthur laughed, striding towards his idiot servant.

He grinned, "You really are adorable when you're jealous Merlin."

He leant forward, nipping at Merlin's nose playfully with his lips.  
Merlin froze, staring wide eyed at the prince.  
Arthur flushed.  
"Well, I... erm... I need to get to the council meeting now," he stuttered, bolting from the room.

As the door slammed shut, Merlin collapsed on to the bed, tears running down his cheeks.  
He'd never tell Arthur how he felt about him, but - just for a minute - he almost thought the prince was going to kiss him.


	2. forehead

**Arthur is extremely ill - will he survive?**

Merlin walked into the prince's dark and gloomy chambers, his eyes desperately turning to his guardian's sombre face.

"How's he doing Gaius?" he murmured, reaching out to smooth the prince's damp locks from his forehead.  
Gaius frowned, his features grim.  
"I don't know Merlin. I've never come across a sickness like this before: I can't find anything in my books about it, and I have no idea if the prince will even survive the night."  
Merlin nodded, grief eclipsing his face.

"I'll sit with him for a while Gaius. Go get some rest," he muttered, avoiding the healer's gaze. He didn't look up as the door shut behind him.  
He stared at the sleeping prince.  
He looked so beautiful, Merlin mused, with his golden tresses fanned out across the pillow, his dark blonde lashes blushing his cheeks, his perfectly sculpted lips parted slightly.  
But when he looked closely, Merlin could see the sallow hue of his skin, the seat forming once more on his brow.  
Merlin bent down, his eyes level with Arthur's nose.  
He could taste Arthur's breath on his tongue – honey and lilac, marred slightly by something bitter, like almonds.  
He tilted his head, lightly brushing his lips against Arthur's clammy brow.

Arthur sighed, leaning into the caress.  
"Merlin?" he asked weakly, opening a bleary eye.  
Merlin jerked away quickly, shocked at the prince's sudden awareness.  
"Merlin, why do I feel like I've just gone 10 rounds with a dragon?" the prince croaked, the colour slowly returning to his cheeks.  
"You've been very ill, sire," Merlin replied, gently helping him into a sitting position.  
Arthur frowned, his pale forehead creasing with confusion.  
"I should go alert Gaius," Merlin muttered, lithely springing towards the door.  
"Merlin?" the prince whispered, stopping the young warlock in his tracks.  
"Yes, sir?" he asked hesitantly, wringing his hands.  
"Thank you."


	3. cheek

**Merlin isn't jealous of Gwen... is he?**

Merlin stood in the door way, seething.  
It was stupid, to be so upset over a little kiss.  
It hadn't even been on the lips for Christ sake!  
And yet, Merlin could feel himself growing angrier and angrier at the thought.

Five minutes earlier, Merlin had been struggling down the street, arms filled with polished armour.  
On his way to the armoury, he'd spotted Gwen, buying apples from the market.  
A rosy smile was on her face, and Merlin couldn't help but grin at his friend's happiness.

Only a second later, she tripped, apples scattering in all directions.  
Merlin moved to help her.  
"Can I help Guinevere?" came the voice of Arthur (A.K.A. Prince Prat).  
"Thank you sire," replied Guinevere, smiling.  
Picking up the apples, Gwen stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

Merlin felt a bitter pang of jealousy.  
Why should _she _be allowed to touch him, kiss him without judgement?  
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.  
He walked towards the armoury, scowling.

"Merlin?" Arthur called behind him.  
Merlin cringed; Arthur was the last person on Earth he wanted to see.  
He was so busy trying to remember the correct spell to make him invisible without losing body parts in the process; he didn't even realize when a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Merlin? Merlin, you fool, are you even listening? I thought you were meant to be mucking out the stables?" Arthur sighed, exasperated.  
Merlin turned a cold glint in his usually warm eyes.  
"Sorry Sire, I'll head there now," he replied stiffly, his hands clench at his sides.  
Arthur gazed anxiously at his servant – it made Merlin uncomfortable.  
"Is everything alright Merlin?" Arthur asked his hand still on Merlin's shoulder.  
Merlin shook him away hastily.  
"I'm fine," he said icily, attempting to hide his glare.  
"I don't believe you," Arthur replied confidently.  
"Look, just drop it Arthur, OK?" Merlin snapped, turning away from the prince from the prince and marching towards the stables, his eyes stinging.  
Merlin shook his head sadly: it wasn't like he loved Arthur (he was a complete prat) but, he couldn't help but think that it wasn't.  
He had desperately wanted to kiss Arthur for years, yet Gwen had achieved what he could only dream of in less than a week.  
Merlin shook his head once more.  
There was no use crying of something he could never have.


	4. shoulder

Kiss on the shoulder  
**Merlin admits that he is a warlock. ****Arthur**_**sort of**_** confesses his feelings and kisses Merlin on the shoulder.  
**  
Arthur stalked towards Merlin's room, livid. He'd spent three hours trying to find Merlin, who had supposedly gone to muck out the stables.  
He'd gone to check on him 15 minutes later, after realising Merlin had cleaned it only an hour earlier.  
But why would Merlin lie to him, he wondered.  
At the back of his mind, Arthur wondered if Merlin was seeing someone.  
Of course not, the rest of him scoffed, Merlin couldn't hide a secret like that to save his life.  
He marched towards Gaius's door, wrapping on it smartly.  
Gaius opened the door, looking rather taken aback at the sight of the prince.  
"Hello sire," he said cautiously, his eyes shifting towards Merlin's room.  
Arthur's eyes narrowed.  
"Where is he?" he asked bluntly, already pushing past the healer.  
"He's gone to the market, sire. Shall I tell him you want him when he returns?" Gaius replied, blocking the prince's path.  
Stepping around him, Arthur marched towards the door, slamming it open with a loud bang.  
He froze.  
Merlin stood facing him, his eyes not cobalt blue, but brilliant glowing gold.  
The little furniture he owned hovered 6 metres above the ground.  
A sad smile decorated Merlin's face.  
He turned around.  
"Hello Arthur".

Arthur gasped, his cerulean eyes never leaving Merlin's gold.  
Merlin's eyes turned back to their familiar blue, the furniture crashing into the floor.  
Arthur felt his heart shatter into a million jagged pieces.  
How could Merlin have betrayed him like this?

"So, now you know what I am," Merlin said calmly.  
Arthur could only stare at Merlin, his eyes pleading for some explanation that would make everything better.  
"Why?" he whispered sadly.

"I can't change what I am Arthur; I was born with magic. I only ever wanted to protect you."  
Tears pulled in Merlin's eyes.  
"So, please, just make it quick," he whispered, closing his eyes.  
He bit his bottom lip, trying to stop it trembling.

He knew he should have killed him where he stood, but he couldn't.  
Arthur gripped Merlin's arm and pulled the shaking figure to his chest.  
"I could never hurt you Merlin; I care about you too much."  
He flushed, tightening his hold around the warlock.  
Merlin looked up, grinning like an idiot.  
"I care about you too, even if you are a prat sometimes."  
Arthur rolled his eyes, burying his face in Merlin's hair.  
Leaning down, he quickly pressed his mouth to Merlin's shoulder.  
"I'll always be here for you Merlin, no matter what."


	5. back Part 1

Kiss on the back part 1  
**Arthur is covered in scars all down his back. ****Merlin**** kisses them better  
**Merlin sat in his room, hunched over a particularly difficult spell.  
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to concentrate.  
Not that that was any surprise  
Arthur had been sent away to fight against a rebel king in the east two weeks earlier.  
Merlin had wanted to come with him, but Arthur wouldn't let him.  
"No," he said firmly, his rough hands wrapped around Merlin's slender fingers.  
"But Arthur, I-"  
"No," Arthur repeated. "I'll tie you to the bed if I have to," He threatened, instantly spotting where Merlin's thoughts were leading.  
"Then I'll just use magic to escape," Merlin hissed.  
Arthur smirked, "not if I get a little help from Gaius. He's as eager to keep you here as I am."  
"Traitor," Merlin muttered, his lips pouting adorably.  
Arthur stroked Merlin's cheek, his eyes expanding into pools of blue.  
"We only want to keep you safe. I couldn't bear if anything happened to you."  
Merlin had agreed to stay after that – he never could resist those eyes, even before they started seeing each other.  
If you could call it that, Merlin thought bitterly.  
Arthur ha decided the best thing to do was to take things slow, going no further than cuddling or holding hands.  
Not that it was unpleasant, being wrapped in those warm, strong arms.  
It was just, Merlin had loved Arthur since they'd first met all those years before, and now he knew those feelings were reciprocated, he desperately wanted to make up for lost time.  
Merlin sighed, closing his eyes.  
He'd feel better after a long sleep.  
"Merlin!" yelled Gaius, his voice filled with worry, "get down here quickly!"  
Merlin tore from his room, finding Arthur lying on the bed, his face ashy.  
"What the hell happened Gaius?" Merlin whispered, fighting back the onslaught of tears.  
"He was wounded badly in battle," sighed Gaius, patting his young ward.  
"He'll be perfectly fine," he added reassuringly.  
Arthur opened his eyes, smiling at the sight of his lover.  
"Hey idiot."  
"Clotpole," Merlin responded, tears running down his smiling face.


	6. back Part 2

As Arthur limped back to his room, Gaius turned to Merlin.  
"I've stitched up the worst cuts, but it will take time to heal," he said, handing Merlin a large bottle of foul smelling liquid. "Apply this to his injuries once every evening until the wounds are completely closed. The next few weeks are going to be tough; the prince will need you more than he ever has before.  
As usual, Merlin opened the door without knocking.  
"Arthur?" he muttered, searching for his love in the gloom.  
"Over here Merlin," Arthur answered, wincing as he to stand up.  
"Careful, you need to rest," murmured Merlin, placing a soothing hand on the prince's shoulder.  
"Gaius said I need to apply medicine to your wounds before you go to sleep."  
Arthur nodded, scrambling at the hem of his tunic to pull it off.  
He hissed as the fabric scraped his raw flesh.  
Carefully, Merlin helped Arthur out of his tunic, barely touching the sensitive skin.  
He gasped at the horrific sight before him.  
Arthur hadn't just been stabbed, he had been maimed. His back was crisscrossed with cuts; bruises littered his ribs, his neck, and, between his shoulder blades, a deep, heavily stitched cut stretched from the base of his neck to his lower back.  
Tears streaked Merlin's face once more.  
Arthur grinned slightly.  
"Pretty bad, huh?  
Merlin nodded.  
He brought the medicine soaked cloth to Arthurs back.  
"Gaius said this will hurt a bit."  
As the cloth touched his back, Arthur screamed in agony: it was as though someone had opened up the savage wound again and twisted the knife even further into his back.  
"Arthur!" Merlin panicked, grabbing Arthur's hand and squeezing it.  
Arthur turned to his love, short pants escaping his lips.  
"I'm fine," he assured his servant, "it just stings."  
Merlin looked down guiltily.  
"What?"  
"I'm not finished Arthur," Merlin muttered.  
Arthur took a deep breath, squeezing Merlin's hand tightly.  
For what seemed like an eternity, pain licked at Arthurs back, sending him into spasms and making him wish he would die. The only thing that kept him grounded where Merlin's hands, one gripping his in comfort, the other dabbing at his back.  
When Merlin had finished, Arthur collapsed, gasping.  
Merlin leant over him, careful not to touch his excruciating back. A lightly as a moth, Merlin began to scatter butterfly kisses across Arthurs back, soothing the prince. His lips traced the now almost closed wounds, blowing cool air on them. Arthur sighed. Merlin was like his own personal sun – even when the world seemed at its darkest, Merlin would be there, brightening everything around him.  
Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck, whispering sweet nothings in his ear as he drifted to sleep


	7. neck

**Kiss on the neck****  
****Merlin** hesitantly begins to kiss Arthurs neck.  
"Arthur, wake up, love," Merlin whispered in to Arthur's hair. He had woken up to find his arms wrapped around Arthur, the wounds completely closed. He would have loved to have stayed like that all day, just watching Arthur brief in and out, but he had work to do.  
They both did. He had tried shaking the prince awake, talking to him, even kicking him – nothing had worked.  
Suddenly, Merlin had an idea. He turned to his sleeping prince and leant closer. Gently, ever so gently, he pressed his lips to Arthur's neck. Arthur moaned, shifting under the covers. Teasingly, Merlin traced his tongue along Arthurs jaw, down to his collar bone. Arthur groaned loudly. Merlin stopped, starting to nibble slightly at the flesh there, his tongue swiping over the soft skin. Arthur gasped, sitting up right.  
He stared strangely at Merlin, who looked away, blushing.  
"What did you just do?" Arthur asked curiously, staring at the warlock.  
"N-nothing Arthur," Merlin muttered, still embarrassed.  
Arthur stared at him a second longer.  
"Well, can you do nothing again?"  
Merlin grinned, leaning in to kiss the princess jaw again.


	8. Lips

**Oh my god! It's time for the fianl chapter! I'm so sad to finish this story but I'm too much of a softy to wait any longer. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was the middle of June, when Merlin woke up to find himself alone.  
The sun was edging over the horizon, the inky black sky replace with deep violet.

Merlin turned to where his lover had fallen asleep with him.  
The bed was cold, and strangely empty without the brawny prince beside him.  
He lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling.  
He had never noticed before, but the ceiling appeared to be decorated with paintings of a blonde knight, fighting a wizard to save a princess.  
The picture made Merlin a little uncomfortable.  
His eyes flashing gold, the painting began to morph into a brand new scene.  
In this one, the blonde knight walked across a field of poppies, hand in hand with a raven haired wizard .

The door opened.

Arthur walked in, his face ashy pale, his expression pained.  
"Arthur? What's wrong?" Merlin asked, shocked.  
Arthur stood stock still, his lips trembling slightly.  
Merlin sat up.  
"Arthur?" whispered Merlin, "what is it?"  
"My father's dead," he muttered, his voice breaking slightly.  
Merlin rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Arthur.  
Arthur stood stiffly, making no move to hug back.

Merlin took Arthur's face in his hands, anxiously watching him.  
"Arthur, it's OK to feel something. he was your father."  
Arthur gazed at Merlin, cerulean and cobalt blue.  
A tear slid down his cheek.  
He clutched Merlin to his chest, sobbing mournfully.  
Merlin held him, stroking Arthur's golden hair.

He pressed his lips gently to Arthur's, quietening the grieving king.  
He gasped as Arthur deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into Merlin's eager mouth.  
They sat there, kissing each other desperately until oxygen became necessary.

Still gasping, Merlin turned to Arthur.  
"You will be an amazing king Arthur, I know you will."  
Arthur smiled.  
"Long live the king," he whispered, before capturing Merlin's lips with his own once more.

* * *

**That was so hard to write! I really, really hope you liked it!  
If you're sick to death of cuteness, let me know and I'll see what I ca do.  
Once again, I really hope you liked it. :)**


End file.
